Saul's Armour Doesn't Fit

Over the life of this blog one post which has garnered the most attention is "Beware of Saul's Armor."  Until now I have not felt led to write of my experience which inspired it.  I believe the post about Saul's Armor strikes a chord in the hearts of all people who long to walk by faith in God and not by sight.  I write of my experience not to be a "rabble-rouser," to be foolhardy, or to justify rebellion against biblical authority.  I feel it necessary as I did those many years ago to exhort Christians to never substitute programs or an arm of flesh to accomplish what only God can do.  We can fall into the trap in looking to others to validate our call to ministry or using worldly methods and safety nets rather than simply following the leading of God.

When I was living in San Diego and on staff as a youth pastor in 2005, I had a clear leading from God to minister in the east side of Australia.  The overwhelming sense of this idea and accompanying desire was so vivid and out of nowhere I waited months before relating the impression to my wife.  This idea of moving to the east coast of Australia was constant and persistent though I was completely satisfied with my life in the U.S.  I was happy and had never aspired to be a pastor, much less immigrate across the world!  I knew no one in Australia, did not know where I was going, when it would happen, or how it would come to pass.  But on March 4th, 2009, God supplied a clear leading to contact a church in Brisbane, Australia.  This date is the background for the name of this blog, being a significant date to my wife and me because it is the only date which can also be stated (albeit American style!) as an action.

The call came though I did not know where, when I would be going, or how I would be serving.  I believed it would be wise to begin preparations before actually leaving for Australia.  Since my current fellowship at the time was not set up to manage donations, health care, and provide accountability for foreign missionaries, I began looking into ministries which did.  I made an appointment to interview with such a ministry, took a day off work, and went early to the interview.  After excitedly telling my story to the staff which assembled around a table of God's miraculous call to minister in Australia, the confirmation He had provided through God's Word and my wife, I was not prepared for their response.

What I remember more than what they said is the smugness in which it was said.  After exchanging knowing looks with each other and turning me me with eyes of sympathy, I can sum up what they said like this:  "We get a lot of people like you - thinking God has called them to overseas ministry.  But many times people aren't prepared for the rigours of being a missionary.  They end up coming back, sitting in that chair crying and wanting to come home."  Then they proceeded to tell me that before they would take me on as a partner missionary I needed to go through their program, my family would have to spend several weeks in a local mission, and raise at least 70% financial support before I would have their blessing to go.  I imagine I felt like David when Saul said, "Alright, I give you permission to fight Goliath.  But before you go you need to try on my armour for size."  Now don't misunderstand:  there is nothing wrong with training for missionaries and wisely planning ahead.  There must be nothing worse for mission sending agencies who have to deal with flaky people who have romantic notions of the mission field or are trying to run from unresolved issues they lug with them wherever they go.

As I sat in that chair listening to the bleak picture they painted of my future I thought within myself, "We'll see about that."  Speaking for myself, the concept of requiring me to go through a program before I stepped out in faith in God was disgraceful.  I was indignant.  Through God I had already experienced His deliverance from lions and bears:  why would a giant be any harder for God to bring down?  It turned out I wasn't a good fit for them and what I saw as the equivalent of Saul's Armour was not a good fit for me.  Submission to authority was not the problem for me, but to substitute a program in place of faith was.  Praise the LORD, for by Friday that week God connected me with Shepherd's Staff.  I submitted my application and my relationship with them has proved to be a brilliant fit.  Instead of questioning or doubting God's call upon my life there was genuine excitement and interest demonstrated by the pastor who interviewed me.

So where am I now?  Since 2009 much has happened.  My family and I have moved to Sydney, Australia - one of the most expensive places in the world to live.  God has continued to provide for all our needs without us directly asking anyone for money.  We prayed to God and made known how people can give if they are so led. I even told people years ago in a special email not to feel obligated to give, yet we have been so blessed how people continue to give.  I am the pastor of Calvary Chapel Sydney in Castle Hill with the most lovely people.  I have been given the opportunity to read with foster kids, speak at Christian holiday camps and Bible Institutes, to go on mission trips, to teach God's Word multiple times at church every week, lead discipleship courses, and to teach scripture in a public school.  And this is the kicker:  last year my family and I became dual citizens!  Guess what?  God has done exactly as He promised us through His Word.  Where there was uncertainty God brought clarity, and what was absolutely impossible God has done.  I give all glory to God for doing His wonders and I can personally testify of His faithfulness and provision.  I look back upon all God has done and realise in myself I am nothing and have accomplished nothing:  God has done it all without needing Saul's ill-fitting armour.

Sometimes this walk of faith in Jesus Christ looks foolish to people in the world and even to some in the church.  What some see as necessary based upon their own experience might indeed by folly - a worthless substitute for spiritual power and simple obedience to God's leading which will only encumber.  Again, there is value and wisdom in training and preparation for ministry as a Christian and God's ways are often quite unorthodox.  God saw fit for my training for ministry to take place on construction jobsites for over a decade.  Instead of seminary He put me through over 10 years of teaching Sunday school, 6 years teaching a home fellowship, and 4 years of being a youth pastor and building-maintenance-man at a church.  God is the One who calls, sends, provides for and establishes His people all over the globe for His glory.  There is no substitute for the leading of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God's Word.  What I wrote many years ago I still find true:  why not go with Who brought us here?  If it is a step of faith to enter into a program or school, good!  If the Spirit of God has you do something which has never been done before, do it with all your might.  Those who trust God will see His glory.  When God's work is ours He will see it done in His time and way.

Be Fully Convinced

During my recent visit to the United States, I had the opportunity to meet with family, friends, and speak at churches concerning my family's move to Australia.  I was able to meet with friends I have had since high school and reflected on my Australian adventure from the very beginning.  It is a story I do not tell very often since we are now dual-citizens and the tale is a rather involved one which began over a decade ago.  It was good to testify of God's faithfulness of His word to me, and I personally identify with the truth of Joshua 21:45 which reads, "Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass."  This is true for the house of Israel and true for me too.  I hope through the story God has written in my life others are encouraged to take steps of faith in obedience to God as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua did.

One of the great benefits of a walk of faith in God is how the Bible becomes much more personal.  When I resigned from my position at a church and went to Australia for a two-month trip, I felt a bit like Abraham who left his country but had no idea where he was going.  I had no clue how God was going to establish me in Australia, but He did.  Seeing God provide for Abraham and his family in the Bible supplies confidence God will provide for all my needs as well.  God promised Abraham things which didn't just seem improbable but were impossible, yet in His time God fulfilled His Word.  Romans 4:20-21 says of Abraham, "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."  Abraham did not waver, despite obvious impossibilities.  God waited until Abraham and his barren wife Sarah were old before He made good on His promise to give them a son.

The world says, "I'll believe it when I see it," but Christians are called to believe it because God has said it.  God created the entire universe by His spoken word, and the power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power which resides in God's people.  This is miraculous, transformational power.  Instead of wavering at the promise of God through unbelief, we too need to be strengthened in faith.  Perhaps God has made promises to you beyond the written Word of God you have yet to see fulfilled and it seems impossible.  Are you convinced what God has promised He is also able to perform - not in a theoretical sense for all people - but for you personally?  We have the same tendency of Abraham of expending great effort wondering how God is going to make good on His promises or even try to help Him out.  God does not need our help.  But He does require our unwavering faith.  Genuine belief enables us to give glory to God despite apparent delays and to keep trusting Him.

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  When doubt creeps in, let us examine ourselves and ensure we are fully convinced in what God has said and He will perform it.  God invites us to dialogue with Him and be casting our cares upon Him, knowing He cares for us.  We can have complete confidence God will not cast us off because of our weakness or even our mistakes, for He is gracious and good.  Like a loving father which holds his tottering child by the hands, so God lifts us up and enables us to place one unsteady foot before the other.  This brings a smile to His face when we walk towards Him, our eyes bright with joy despite our difficulties.  What He has promised we are not able to perform, but He is.

The Gospel Demands

I recently read a very useful book by Sam Allberry titled, Is God anti-gay?  He is a Christian pastor who with clarity and grace systematically holds forth a solid biblical perspective concerning those who struggle with same-sex attraction.  He speaks from a place of personal experience and victory through Jesus.  For much of my life homosexuality was seldom discussed in secular or church circles, and it is good to see that changing.  People have questions and these can be engaged graciously with biblical truth.  Besides the relevance and scriptural accuracy, what I like most about this book is the compassionate tone.  There is a balance Allberry expertly maintains to answer pertinent questions about sexuality with the message of hope Christians have through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Often at youth camps I am faced with loaded questions by skeptics like:  "Do you agree with homosexuality?" or "Is being gay a sin?"  Though many questions I am asked could be answered with a "yes" or "no," to answer them so simplistically does not convey the whole truth.  Truth is not complicated, but people are!  Answering the question and not the questioner can shut down all hope of future engagement.  This is something Allberry does very well in that he does not immediately answer the question, nor does he dodge them.  He begins with our great and good God, His designs in creation, and His purposes for people.  After this all-important foundation is carefully laid, the discussion constructively continues.  He brings up very good points about how the church needs to stop marginalising single people, that we ought to recognise the gift of singleness, and cautions pressuring men into cultural norms of masculinity.

After reading the book, one paragraph kept coming back to mind.  The truth contained in it is relevant for all people.  Sam Allberry writes,

Ever since I have been open about my own experiences of homosexuality, a number of Christian have said something like this:  "The gospel must be harder for your than it is for me," as though I have more to give up than they do.  But the fact is that the gospel demands everything of all of us.  If someone thinks the gospel has somehow slotted into their life quite easily, without causing any major adjustments to their lifestyle or aspirations, it is likely that they have not really started following Jesus at all. Allberry, Sam. Is God Anti-gay?: And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-sex Attraction. N.p.: Good Book, 2015. 12. Print.

This hits at the heart of every person who claims to follow Jesus.  We receive the Gospel freely, but it will always come at a personal cost.  Praise the LORD we can rejoice in the hope of Jesus Christ who has washed us from sin and made us pure and holy by His grace.  No longer do we need to be defined by sins which ensnared us and can walk in liberty.  No matter our struggle or sin, we can have a new beginning with Jesus Christ today.  1 Corinthians 6:11 says about those once defined by various sin:  "And such were some of you. but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."  God loves us no matter our struggles.  When we humble ourselves before Him in faith and obedience, God makes in us the major adjustments required for us to follow Jesus in truth.

Check out a video of Sam sharing here.

Soaring, Running, and Walking

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹ But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:30-31

These verses are a great encouragement to all of God's people who grow weary.  All people on earth have limited stores of energy and enthusiasm.  Being weak, faint, and even falling are common to our human condition.  God promises to renew the strength of all who wait on the LORD, to grant spiritual vitality to those who seek and fix their eyes upon Him.

This order of renewal for a born-again Christian is significant:  mounting up with wings like eagles, running without weariness, and walking without fainting.  When a person repents and trusts in Jesus Christ as Saviour, we are spiritually born again as children of God.  Our bodies remain on earth but in the spiritual realm we are seated with Christ.  Ephesians 2:4-7 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  We who were once dead in sins have been raised to life in eternal glory, soaring free from sin with unlimited access to God.  Through prayer and the indwelling Spirit of God we connected with the Father through Jesus.

On this earthly pilgrimage we can run without weariness.  There is no drudgery in the Christian life but boundless horizons as we grow in God's love and goodness, all needs supplied abundantly according to His grace.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  It is most fitting our lives as Christians are compared to runners in an important race.  Runners prepare intentionally for competition and focus to expend all their effort once the starting gun sounds to the very end.  Every second is important and counted.  We do not compete against other people but run the unique course God has set before each one of us in such a way to obtain the prize.  The way we think, speak, and conduct ourselves on earth is critical.  Laying aside weights and sin enables us to run with endurance.

Those who realise their new identity in Christ and faithfully run the race set before them will be greatly aided to walk without fainting.  Even as the disciples who walked along the road to Emmaus enjoyed fellowship and conversation with Jesus, so we walk with Jesus through this life.  When I used to run cross-country our warm-up was a slow jog at "conversational pace."  Communion with God should be constant.  Walking may not be the fastest speed between two points, but we are not called to outpace Jesus or the leading of the Spirit.  As working oxen yoked together must walk in step, so we are to labour alongside our Saviour and fellow disciples.  Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham walked with God, and so must we.  It is written to Abraham as well to all who desire to please God in Genesis 17:1:  "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless."  This isn't only for Old Testament saints, for John wrote to followers of Jesus in 1 John 2:6, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."  God rejoices when His children choose to walk in the Truth.

Do you find yourself faint, weary, or falling?  Realise your new and privileged position seated with Christ in the heavenlies.  Prepare yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually to run with endurance the race that is set before you, looking unto Jesus.  Fulfill the command of Christ to deny self, take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus as you progress through this earthly pilgrimage.  God will keep His Word and renew your strength so you might finish your race with joy and be presented before the Father with exceeding joy.